Walmart ends 24-hour service in Montgomery

Robin Conn / The Huntsville TimesAll Montgomery Walmarts will now be closed from midnight to 6 a.m. (Robin Conn / The Huntsville Times)

MONTGOMERY, Alabama -- Walmart patrons wishing to shop late in the evening will find that the once 24-hour a day stores are now closed after midnight in Montgomery.

While some reports state that increasing crime rates may be the reason the corporation decided to close up shop after midnight, Walmart is insisting that they changed their hours of operation to better meet the needs of customers in the area.

"Based on customer shopping patterns, we believe we can continue to meet the needs of the customers in our community with this operating schedule. We believe this change will help us offer a faster, friendlier shopping experience for our customers by allowing us to focus our resources during the peak shopping periods of the day," Wal-Mart representatives told CBS 8 earlier this week.

Earlier this year, Walmart made a similar move in Fayetteville, N.C. According to The Fay Reporter, Walmart chose to close the store from midnight to 6 a.m. in order to reduce crime in the area. Two months later, the local newspaper reported that the move had little effect on crime rates.

Many Montgomery residents think that the move is inconveniencing, while others are applauding the business for making the change, saying that closing the store late at night would make the area safer.

"I don't get off from work until 2 a.m., and Walmart was always my go-to place," said 37-year-old Evan Florence. "Now that they are closed, I really don't have any options if I need something."

23-year-old Abbey Hudson disagrees, saying that she will feel better knowing that there will be less loitering around her neighborhood by the store on Atlanta Highway.

"It always worried me that the store was open all night, because that's when all the nonsense happens. Now they will have to go somewhere else, thankfully not by my house."

Walmart locations in Prattville and Millbrook will both remain open 24-hours a day, according to the Walmart website.